


Encircling Veil

by Gaqalesqua



Series: Dragon Age Fanfiction [10]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance, Smut, elf fucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-07-26 01:59:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7555735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaqalesqua/pseuds/Gaqalesqua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For ArishoksBride. </p><p>Solas is many things - apostate, Dread Wolf, Rift Mage, advisor and friend of the Inquisitor. He is also hopelessly in love with her, but war and his own plans are at odds with his feelings for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Post Coital

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArishoksBride](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArishoksBride/gifts).



Waking up with the Inquisitor curled into his arms set Solas’ heart beating fast.

 _This is dangerous,_ was his first thought. He inhaled deeply, and smelt the Crystal Grace perfume she wore, just about noticeable beneath the musk of her sweat and the remainder of the slick between her legs. He felt himself stirring and stifled a moan. _Fenhedis_ , this woman had undone him. _Multiple times_ , his brain added wryly, remembering the night before. He could still taste her in his mouth and the memory of her was not helping the stiffness between his legs. He needed to break free of her gentle arms, a prison far more effective than even he could manufacture.

He ducked down until her arms were around his shoulders, rather than his waist, and wove slowly out of her grasp. She murmured softly, stirring, and Solas cursed inwardly. The elf went to slide out of bed, his eyes scanning the room for his clothes.

“Solas?” she murmured softly.

“Inquisitor,” he replied, his tone warm. Ah, even in his worry, the sight of her relaxed him. He could not stop the small smile that crept across his face.

“Leaving so soon?” she chuckled gently, and he tried not to wince at the trace of hurt he detected.

“I need to find my clothes,” he said fairly.

“And when you’ve found them?”

 _I would have preferred to steal away like the coward I am_ , he wanted to tell her. He swallowed, turning away and finding his trousers, placing them down on her chair.

“Solas?” she called.

“I…do not know,” he finally admitted. “You and I…both have our duties, do we not?”

“We do,” she agreed, sitting up. The covers were slumped around her waist, her auburn hair a mess, thick locks curling around her breast. Solas’ breath caught. In the soft morning glow, she looked like a greater temptation than any desire demon could ever have conjured. If he could, he would have immortalised her in picture here.

 _Immortal_.

 _Fenhedis_.

“The day is too nice to stay in bed,” he added, locating his shirt and slipping it over his head. _Where is my jawbone pendant?_

“You’re right,” she decided, an air of finality to the two words. He felt her eyes on him as he pulled on his trousers and tied the belt around his waist. When he finally looked up her gaze dropped, and he swallowed. “You should enjoy your day.”

“I enjoyed my night too,” he said softly, watching warmth flush her face. “Forgive me, Inquisitor…it has been so long since…”

“I understand,” she murmured. A little of the hurt was gone from her voice but she was still tense.

“Would you like any help?” he asked. “With…anything?”

“No, Solas,” she replied kindly. “I think you’ve done enough.”

It was a slap across the face and the elven mage was fairly certain he’d earned it. He located his pendant, placing it around his neck, and awkwardly left the room.

 

* * *

 

“I dare say you’ve been staring at that wall for long enough,” a voice called to him from the balcony. Solas stirred, and came to realise he had been standing in front of this singular mural for over ten minutes. He looked up to see Dorian gazing down at him, one eyebrow raised, the Tevinter mage’s handsome face pulled into an expression of equal parts concern and amusement, arms crossed and pressing against the wood.

“My thoughts have been…greatly scattered, Dorian,” he finally called back.

“Unsurprising,” the young man snorted. “You’ve your head in the Fade most days. Though, I must say, it could have something to do with this particular mural, hmm?”

“What do you mean?” Solas asked. Pavus’ rich laugh filled the rotunda. Solas watched him head for the stairs down, and a moment later the mage was crossing the floor towards the elf, his face a picture of mirth. Solas bridled at the expression. The idea that the younger mage might be mocking him was unpleasant, even if Dorian was never cruel.

“My dear Solas, I’m no fool,” Dorian told him, not unkindly. “And for all your flaws, you are an excellent painter. The detail you’ve put into this mural is exquisite. This image here is of our dearest Inquisitor at Haven, is it not?”

“That is correct,” Solas agreed. “Why?”

“Solas,” Dorian began frankly, “as I said before, you’re staring at it. Must I really insult both our intelligences? I’ve yet to see you associate with a woman quite like you have with Lady Trevelyan.”

“Inquisitor Trevelyan is a dear friend and an ally,” Solas told him. His tone didn’t sound convincing even to his own ears. Dorian rolled his eyes.

“Yes of course, a wonderful friend and a steadfast ally,” he sighed. “Well, I’ve no wisdom to dispense, I’m afraid, so I shall leave you to stew in your denial.”

“Your kindness knows no bounds,” Solas muttered.

“Oh, and Solas? You’ve got to be careful when you mix your palettes. The Inquisitor’s hair is too orange,” Dorian added.

“You must be aware that colours change with application of light,” the elf pointed out. “The Inquisitor’s hair is auburn, but with yellow light, like the fires at Haven, it would turn more of an orange shade.”

“Stared at her hair for a while, have you?” Dorian chuckled.

“I spend enough time following Lady Evelyn around the battlefield to have seen her colour palette in various shades,” Solas responded.

“Oh really?” Dorian asked, smirking. “And how intently do you stare to discern the various shades of our dear ‘Lady Evelyn’, Solas?”

“I do not stare,” Solas protested.

“Of course not,” Dorian agreed kindly. “That’s why you called her by her first name.”

_Fenhedis, I did, didn’t I._

 

* * *

 

“You cannot be serious,” Cassandra said as they made camp for the night.

“I am deadly serious,” Evelyn replied. “Chateau D’Onterre is an excellent location.”

“It is covered in undead corpses! There was a demon in the halls!”

“That just means property prices will be low.”

“Solas, tell me the Fade has addled her brain,” the Seeker protested. “She is mad!”

“Seeker Pentaghast, I am casting wards!” the mage protested. “I will examine the Inquisitor’s mental health in a moment.”

“Solas, how damaged is the Fade around the Chateau, and would it be likely that its residents could be possessed by demons?” Cassandra asked. “Because I am questioning the logic behind annexing it as an Inquisition fortress.”

His hands sparked with magic as he finished placing wards, considering her question.

“The occupants before us died because the child was lonely, and befriended a demon,” he mused. “So long as we do not lock away any mage children without giving them friends or try to suppress their magic, they should all be safe.”

“I appreciate the advice,” Cassandra drawled. Her tone inferred that she was currently doing anything but. Solas allowed himself a smile, and then Evelyn laughed. He could feel tingles running up his spine as the soft, husky sound slipped through his head like silk. He swallowed, and the tips of his ears burned just so. He was suddenly glad of the gathering darkness as the others in the group finished pitching their tents. Evelyn’s fingers glittered with flame over a small pile of wood, and within moments she had a fire going.

He found himself sitting at a distance from the others, breathing deeply as he meditated, catching the hum of the Emerald Graves. His magic reached out to check for tears in the Veil, but there were none nearby, and he was content for the moment to simply sit, enjoying the cool evening breeze. He could remember this place as it once was, even now recalling the sound of feet on the roads, the life of the Elvhen Empire, his people, so long ago that it hurt to remember them.

The sound of soft footsteps startled him back to reality, and his eyes opened to see Evelyn sitting down in front of him, gazing at him curiously.

“I’ve never asked, why do you always sit apart from the camp?” she began, head tilting.

“It is easier to meditate,” he replied. “Without the press of other people around, it is quieter, simpler. I do not have the distractions that would trouble my concentration.”

“I can understand that,” she said with a soft laugh. “Varric is in the middle of telling us a story about Hawke.”

“You enjoy tales of the Champion, why are you not with them?”

“Because I wanted to see if you were all right.”

“You are kind,” Solas said softly. Her left hand reached for him, and he watched her fingers clasp around his shoulder, and squeeze gently. The soft clench of flesh around him was pleasant and reassuring, and his eyes closed briefly as she moved away and sat down opposite him. Her palm sparked just a little and he pressed his lips together. She hadn’t seemed to have noticed its reaction to his presence. “How is your hand?”

“I get occasional twinges of dull pain,” she replied, examining it. “But, it seems to have calmed down. Closing rifts still hurts, but I’ve been taking note of my pain and sort of measuring it, and every rift we close seems to make it sting a little less. So I’d theorise that once the tears in the Veil are all healed, the mark might just…fade away, I suppose.”

“I would hope,” Solas agreed. “Nevertheless, I will still see if I can devise some way to ensure it will not endanger your life.”

“Thanyou, Solas,” she murmured. “You’ve been so active in helping the Inquisition, I really don’t have the words.”

“Your thanks are unnecessary, but welcome,” he replied. “Your goal for the Inquisition is noble. The help you have chosen to offer will aid many in the years to come. Your humility and kindness is praiseworthy.”

“You’re going to make me blush,” she chuckled. Solas smiled.

“It is a pleasant thing to see,” he murmured.

He watched her swallow.

“You confuse me,” she confessed, her hands clasping together. “You left me in bed that morning, you haven’t returned since, but now you flirt with me. Solas…I care about you, but I don’t appreciate being played with.”

He swallowed, looking away. She was right. It was unfair that he should talk to her like this even after he fled her room like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“It has been a long time since I have felt such affection,” he finally began. “That night in your bed was something I have missed. You and I fit perfectly, Evelyn. It was all I had hoped for and more.”

“Then why did you leave?” she sighed.

“I was…it is…hard to explain,” he tried. “Suffice to say, Inquisitor…Evelyn…I am selfish for you, but too much a coward to…to be there with you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I cannot break off this…what we have shared, what we are,” he admitted, swallowing. “I do not want to. I know it is cruel for me to confess that I care and then refuse to be with you once more but…”

“So you’re going to tell me you want more, and then leave me high and dry?” she muttered, looking away.

“Evelyn…”

“Solas, just don’t.”

“No, please. Were I a better man I would be by your side at all times,” he assured her. “You are kind, and brave, and selfless, and everything the Inquisition could hope for. Foolish as it may sound, I do not want you to look within yourself for the problems I have. They are not your doing.”

“You don’t want to break this off?” she asked.

“No,” he confirmed. “And were I braver and greater, I would do more about my feelings for you.”

He swallowed.

“But- I do not know it- that is…if you wish to-”

A soft finger pressed against his lips. His eyes met Evelyn’s, and they danced with sorrow.

“Neither do I, Solas.”


	2. A Little Nudge

It was somewhat easy for Solas to begin working on a spell that would spare Evelyn’s hand from the Anchor once he returned to Skyhold. The mana that had been used to fuse the mark to her, the mark that should have been his, was self-sustaining, and would have to be slowly siphoned from her into him before he could even begin to undo the complex wards and runes he had built into the spell. It had taken him almost a year to work out its semantics. He had a little more time now.

He would need to take a moment to examine Evelyn’s bone structure and the damage the Mark had wrought in her flesh, trying to picture her hand in his mind. The thought of it gripping the bedsheets as she-

 _Fenhedis_.

He leaned against his desk with a sigh, a slow trickle of heat rolling through him. This was…it was not _wrong_ , technically – he and Evelyn- _Inquisitor Trevelyan_ \- had admitted they were not ready to break off their relationship, or indeed even _willing_ to. But…

He resisted the urge to knock aside books and candles and throw himself across the desk, not simply because it would attract the damned Tevinter’s attention. But, he had to admit, it was tempting to have a tantrum on top of his research. Feelings were so… _frustrating_. And Evelyn was…Evelyn was the most frustrating of all. Why could she not simply tell him to leave?

He groaned softly, and straightened up.

“A difficult spell, Solas?” Dorian called down from above.

“More complex than even your great skill could unravel, Master Pavus,” Solas sniped back. Dorian chuckled.

“And what in Andraste’s name are you, exactly, unravelling?” Dorian asked, leaning nonchalant and catlike against the balustrade.

“The Anchor, on E- on the Inquisitor’s hand,” Solas replied. Dorian’s eyes widened.

“My, my,” he breathed. “You really would do the impossible for her, eh? This is almost worthy of poetry! In fact, I know a good friend…”

“Dorian,” Solas protested, “the Mark is a dangerous thing. It could kill her. This is not some fanciful romantic notion that I am saving the life of Lady Trevelyan out of love.”

“Oh, you break my heart!” Dorian gasped. “Solas, really! Don’t come between a man and his dreams…”

Solas could recall a few times he’d done exactly that.  

 

* * *

 

 

“I have never seen a barrier that widely cast,” Cassandra said, wiping her brow clean. “You threw it half across the battlefield, Solas. I appreciate your concern for the Inquisitor, but you seem to misunderstand your own importance.”

“Have to protect, must shield,” Cole murmured softly. Solas shot a look over to the spirit. “What?! It’s loud in your head!”

“Cole,” Solas began patiently, “you do not need to _say_ everything you hear.”

“If you must shield the Inquisitor, please take care to be a little closer to her,” Cassandra added. “You are going to _exhaust_ yourself otherwise.”

He slumped down on a nearby rock as the warrior wandered away, and was reaching for a lyrium potion when a slender hand held one out to him.

“She’s right, you know,” Evelyn told him softly, as he accepted the gift and pulled out the cork. “I love that you want to protect me, Solas. But you need to conserve your own energy.”

How could he tell her of just how much energy he truly had? Of his divine power?

“It is worth sparing the mana,” he told her, taking another gulp of the potion. Evelyn sighed.

“Solas, I can take care of myself,” she murmured.

“I do not doubt that.”

“Then stop exhausting yourself.”

“No.”

“Don’t make me use my Inquisitor voice and command you.”

His eyes flashed.

_“You are welcome to try.”_

The Inquisitor bit her lip, and Solas felt a responding pulse at his thighs, hurriedly standing up.

“We should…we must return to our duties. At once.”

“Fine,” Evelyn muttered crossly, her face red.

 

* * *

 

 

“Arghhhhh.”

There was a thump against the walls of the bar, and Rainier looked up from his wood-carving, brows raised. He poked his head out of the door, confused. Evelyn Trevelyan sat on a nearby pile of wood, glaring at the outer wall of the barn, and Rainier looked between her and the wood for a moment before he noticed the small knife on the ground.

“What’s the wall done to you?” he asked curiously.

“It’s not the wall,” she muttered. Her hand glowed, and a second late, an image of Solas appeared from thin air.

“Ah.”

He took a seat.

“What’s the problem?”

“He’s so bloody _frustrating!_ ” the Inquisitor said. “I might as well be talking to a brick wall sometimes. We can spend an hour discussing the Veil, the mark on my hand, the politics of today, but as soon as I speak of feelings and how we relate he simply stops talking.”

“You don’t think he reciprocates your feelings?” Thom asked. Evelyn flushed deeply, and he marvelled at the sight.

“Oh, he _reciprocates_ ,” she murmured, biting her lip. “He just doesn’t want to _talk_ about it.”

“Then he’s a fool.”

Evelyn looked up at him with a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry to have attacked your home,” she said with a small sigh. “Or to be dumping this on you.”

“It’s not a problem at all.” He paused. “I…owe you a great deal, after all, and I have great respect for your leadership.”

“You’re a good man, Thom,” she said.

“I’m glad you think so.”

“It’s just frustrating,” she added, groaning loudly.

“I can see that. You’ve got exhausted rings under your eyes, have done for a while now. Is this weighing that heavily on you?”

“I suppose it must be.”

Slender arms slipped around his neck and tugged him close, and he let out a surprised noise when the Inquisitor hugged him with a soft noise of dismay.

“Thankyou, Thom,” she sighed.

“It’s…no problem, Lady Trevelyan,” he spluttered, patting her back gently. “Really, no trouble at all.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Your weekly reports, sir.”

The elf who came to him had a small sheaf of papers she put down on his desk. She had joined the Inquisition from the first, and loved the Inquisitor for her kindness.

But she was still Solas’ spy, first and foremost.

“Ma serannas,” he murmured, dismissing her with a nod. He sat, flicking through them, skimming through the various updates. Fade tears, political movements, the brief five minutes Leliana drank tea-

_Thought you might like to know that Lady Trevelyan has been cosying up to Thom Rainier._

_Lady Trevelyan._

_Cosying up._

_Thom Rainier._

He read those words again and again, a slow, angry ball growing in his stomach. _Cullen_ , perhaps, he might have accepted, and maybe _Bull_ , but _Rainier_ …

His mind drew ugly parallels between Rainier and himself, fingers crumpling the report into pieces as he tried to calm himself down. Evelyn was not _his_ , and despite all his wishes he was unable to truly take her as his own. If she desired a relationship with another man…

_No._

He did not want to accept it. He did _not_. He… _cared_ for her, deeply. And this…it _hurt_.

 

* * *

 

 

Lady Trevelyan’s expedition to the Hissing Wastes had not included him. She had opted for both Cassandra and Bull, and then Cole, and had not given an explanation. Though, he did not need one. Both Bull and Cassandra were powerful, and combined they were a dangerous pair.

However, that left him in Skyhold with Rainier.

A fact that he took advantage of.

The warrior was still in the barn when he came to find him, body tense, humming with anger, and when he stalked into the cool, dark wooden building Rainer barely looked up from his carving.

“Solas,” he began amiably.

“Rainier.”

“Nice day for a visit.”

“I did not come for pleasantries.”

“No, I’m sure you didn’t.”

There was a pause.

“Your intentions towards Lady Trevelyan-”

“Oh, I _see_.”

“She’s not yours,” Solas warned him. “She and I…it’s complicated. But she isn’t _free for the taking_.”

“Is she not?” Rainier asked, putting down the chisel. “Because the way I see it, you’re making big threats for someone who you’re neglecting.”

“I-”

“She’s not interested in me that way,” the warrior added. “She sees me as a friend. But if you’re not careful, that can change. There might be a time where Lady Trevelyan decides she’s tired of being cold, ignored, and alone, and she might just go find someone who won’t blow hot and cold with her whenever he wants.”

The anger burnt his fingertips into a ball of flame, whirring around his hand. Rainier’s eyes widened. Solas growled, stifling the flame.

A bolt of wind hit the warrior square in the chest, shoving him back against the wall. Rainier laughed, winded.

“Well now, Chuckles,” a voice began from behind him. Solas whirled on his heel, the tips of his ears red. “Think I might borrow that and write it into my next novel. ‘ _The princess’ elven friend threw his rival at the wall with a single flick of his wrist, and it was then that they knew he loved her.’_ People seem to like that kind of sappy shit.”

Varric grinned as the elf stared him down.

“I...”

“Oh, don’t mind me, Chuckles, just passing by, taking a walk…getting some _inspiration_. See, I’m writing a new novel, _Princess of the Heavens,_ you’ll love it. The _Princess_ has a lover, kind of elusive, can’t commit, you know how it is.”

“You are a vexing creature, dwarf,” Solas said with gritted teeth. “Though I am certain the _novel_ will be a _great_ success.”

“Oh, you know me, I _love_ romance stories.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Inquisitor’s returned.”

The spy slipped into the room briefly to inform him of that before she disappeared up the stairs, and Solas’ eyes flicked to the opposite door, the one that led outside.

He inhaled deeply, straightening up.

His feet slowly walked him out of the veranda, to the doors of the great hall, and then atop the stairs that looped down to the lower level. Below him, he could see Lady Trevelyan leading her group up to the keep itself, and he swallowed nervously.

He was still uncertain as to his next actions, and she was moving fast, her eyes on him. Even now he could see the concern on her features, her eyes finding his. She hurried up the stairs, closing in on him, and Solas’ mind blanked.

 _Fenhedis_.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, rounding on him. “Solas?”

“I…Lady Inquisitor…”

Her mouth was slightly parted, lips soft and inviting, and Solas knew.

His hands gripped her waist and pulled her to him, their lips meeting, and she moaned in surprise and delight, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck to pull their bodies close. Her warmth bled into him, and he nipped at her lower lip, feeling her heartbeat pounding into his chest.

“Mmph,” she whimpered, rolling against him. A moment later, she pulled her lips away. “Solas…perhaps we should…take this upstairs?”

Two minutes later, Solas was in her room, tearing her robes from her body, the ruined cloth dropping to the floor, his mouth moving furiously against hers as he pushed her down onto her desk and pulled her trousers to her knees, flinging them into a corner as he yanked off her shirt and then her underwear, his hips between her thighs as he fought off his own robe and worked his trousers to his thighs.

“Ahhh,” he grabbed a full breast, one hand squeezing her ass, his cock pressing at her wet slit.

“Ahnn…Evelyn,” he moaned, pulling her flush against him. “ _vhenan_ , _ma vhenan, ar lath ma,_ ahhhn…”

He buried himself in her, working against her body with a series of hard, circling thrusts, and Evelyn’s thighs found his waist, the muscles tightening as Solas’ fingers stroked across her clit. She bit her lip, reaching for him to kiss him again, her skin soft as silk, her sex inviting him in.

“Solas, oh,” she panted, “I missed you, I’ve wanted you…so much…oh, Solas…”

He leaned down to suck on her breast as his body roughly moved into hers, the desk rocking beneath them, her back arching, his touch causing shudders down her spine, and Solas marvelled at just how she felt around him, beneath him. It was a joy to behold.

To think he had been foolish enough to hold back from this human marvel, this masterpiece of curves and beauty, her slender fingers tangling in the leather cord of the jawbone pendant, moving faster, more urgently. He could feel her getting close and his hands skimmed her thighs, one reaching to cup her breast, the other thumb at her clit once again.

“Oh! Solas!”

“ _Garas_ , _mir nehn_ ,” he breathed, licking up her nipple to kiss at her neck.

She squeezed around him with a cry, and he growled into her skin as his own end found him.

“Solas…”

Fervent as a prayer to Andraste, she murmured his name, and Solas felt contentment seeping into him, washing away the anger, the worry, the stress. Her gentle hands touched him, and he felt warm.

“I love you, you idiot,” she murmured, as he kissed her jaw.

“ _Ar lath, ma vhenan_ ,” he whispered in reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vhenan, ma whenan, ar lath ma - heart, my heart, I love you  
> Garas, mir nehn - come, my joy  
> Ar lath, ma vhenan - I love you, my heart


	3. Ma Serannas

Evelyn lay across his chest, her hair fanning out behind her. Solas inhaled the scent of her with deep, greedy breaths. She smelt of him, of her sweat, and a post-coital musk that gave him an urge to mark her with his teeth. It was tempting. After their journey to the Temple of Mythal, and watching her stand in front of the Vir’Abelasan, knowing Mythal could tear Evelyn from his hands if she only stepped into the water, he wanted nothing more than to leave a row of love bites along her neck, on her thighs, on her ass. But she was already semi limp in his arms, her mortal stamina mostly depleted from their earlier lovemaking, and so he settled instead for running his palm down the curve of her bicep, teasing his fingertips gently over her wrist. She stifled a laugh, turning her arm over so that he could no longer tickle her.

“How is your hand?” Solas asked softly. His fingers brushed over the knuckles of her left hand, and Evelyn flexed, gazing at the Anchor mark.

“It stings occasionally,” she admitted. “But thanks to your spell, and with the rifts almost completely closed, I have a feeling it won’t trouble me for much longer.”

“That is the hope,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“What would I do without you, Solas?” Evelyn sighed, curling into him.

“You would be one mage down, and the Inquisition would doubtless suffer for it,” he said with a chuckle. She looked up at him with an arched brow. The effect was not quite the same, not with her face flushed and her eyes bright.

“You are an ass,” she told him.

“And yet you still lie with me.”

“You have other qualities, I suppose.”

She leaned up to kiss him slowly. Solas felt his cock twitching and cupped her face, nipping her lower lip with his teeth.

“Vhenan,” he panted. “You are tired. Much as I would like to turn you over and have you again, you may collapse of exhaustion if I do. Cassandra will not be merciful if I wear you out when there is still so much to be done.”

“You spoil my fun, love,” Evelyn muttered, kissing the tip of his nose.

“The fun will still be here when you have rested, ma lath.”

“Hmmph.”

Evelyn lay down on his chest once more, and Solas felt the soft brush of her lashes against his chest as her eyes slowly closed. An arm wrapped around her shoulders. As she slowly drifted off, she murmured that she loved him. Solas felt his stomach flutter, and whispered ‘ _ar lath, ma vhenan,’_ in her ear.

If he could immortalise this moment, he would. And his heart ached as he knew he could not.

 

* * *

 

 

“What are our plans?” Cassandra asked Evelyn, as they leaned over the war table.

“Most of our forces are still in the Arbour Wilds,” Evelyn replied. “Have we heard of anymore Venatori from our scouts?”

“Currently, what’s left of the Venatori is being mown down by Bull and his Chargers,” Cullen began. “Lieutenant Aclassi sent a raven saying they should be back within a day or two.”

“Has Morrigan fully recovered from the Well?” Evelyn asked.

“Mostly. She has however taken to speaking Elvhen at odd moments,” Leliana admitted.

“Make sure she doesn’t hurt herself, or anyone else,” the Inquisitor instructed.

“Already taken care of.”

“Then unless there’s anything else on the agenda…”

“Nothing important enough that the Inquisitor’s oversight is needed,” Josephine assured her.

“Wonderful. Solas and I are going to check the wards we set in the valley,” Evelyn said.

 

* * *

 

 

They went on foot down into the valley, and as they descended, Solas felt the nausea grow. With their goal so close, he could not afford to allow her to be distracted.  Not by him, not by her feelings. He had known this was coming since the moment they had first made love, and yet it did not make it any easier for him to do. Her hand was slipped into his, her touch bringing him nothing but guilt as they walked across the snow to reach the first ward.

“It’s holding,” Evelyn began, kneeling down to examine it. “Nothing seems to have come through recently. At least, nothing that would concern the Inquisition.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

“Is everything all right, Solas?” Evelyn asked, standing.

“Truthfully, I am thinking about what comes next,” Solas admitted. “We are in the calm before the storm as of this moment. Corypheus’ forces are all but defeated, Corypheus himself has fled to placed unknown. Until he makes his next move, we are stuck waiting for the storm to break.”

“I think that describes this perfectly,” Evelyn agreed.

“What are your plans?” he suddenly asked. “After this is all over, I mean.”

“Well, I certainly won’t be returning to a Circle tower,” Evelyn replied. “In all honestly? I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”

Solas swallowed.

“I have plans,” he said vaguely. “I stumbled across the Inquisition by accident, after all. I had not intended to become so…”

“So…?”

“Uniquely involved,” Solas finally said. “I had simply meant to assist however I could, and afterwards return to my life of itinerancy. You…were a very pleasurable complication.”

Evelyn laughed. Solas felt it twist in his gut like a knife as he looked up at the sky for a few moments.

“Would you still leave?” Evelyn finally asked. The question hung in the air. He swallowed again.

“My plans…such as they are…would mean that I would need independence, the kind that the Inquisition cannot give me if I am still an agent,” he admitted. His eyes fell on Evelyn. He watched her throat bob. “And your duties, your destiny, they are…far more important than one elven mage.”

“Solas, please.” She said it so softly he could feel his heart break. “Don’t do this. I thought…”

“I cannot remain forever,” he told her. “I…said as much from the start – that I would stay, until Corypheus is defeated.”

“And you can’t love me and have your independence at the same time,” Evelyn said. “I’m a shackle around your wrist, pulling you out of your ancient ruins and your Fade dreams. Is that it?”

“Vhenan, please.”

Evelyn stepped away from him, and began stalking back up the mountain.

“Why could you not have simply rejected my kiss in the Fade?!” she demanded. “Or better yet, left me to fix my heart by loving another?! Why did you abandon me in my bed, only to take my hand and drag me to my rooms when you were ready to have your fun?!”

“It was not mere fun!” Solas protested. “Vhenan, there…you have changed so much. You have…I had not seen the world until you walked into it. You _must_ understand that.”

“Poetic flattery won’t fix the fact that you’re tearing my heart out,” Evelyn sobbed. “How could you be so cruel?!”

“We are so close to fulfilling the purpose of the Inquisition, and it is easier in the long run if I am gone once Corypheus is dead!” Solas insisted. “And I cannot…I am not cruel enough…even if I left, and you still loved me, what would you desire of me, vhenan? That I come running, once every few months, to return to your bed, leaving you cold and alone all other days?”

“Cold and lonely until your return couldn’t be worse than this!” Evelyn snapped, her face glittering with tears.

“I cannot comfort you with a lie,” he said softly. “I am sorry.”

“You’re right,” she agreed weakly. “You’re right. Don’t comfort me at all. I should have seen this coming from the moment you first left my bed. I shouldn’t have been so hopeful.”

“It was never my intention to lie to you.” He paused. “Ev- Inquisitor. Please, continue to use the spell. In time, it will fix your hand.”

“Thankyou, Solas. Your skills have been a boon to the Inquisition,” she told him coolly. “I should return to Skyhold and speak to my advisors about the next steps.”

Another twist of the knife. Solas knew he deserved it. He followed her at a distance up the mountain, back towards the keep. She ignored him as they crunched through the snow, and he allowed a little distance to fall between them.

They were almost at the gates of Skyhold when the world turned green, and the sky ripped open once more.

 

* * *

 

 

He knelt, picking up the shards of the orb. Evelyn watched him, her arms crossed over her chest. It looked like his heart had shattered in his chest, and though she felt the slightest hint of vindictive joy that he knew now what it felt like, she had to admit, she got no pleasure from seeing him so unhappy. He cradled the pieces, standing up in silence.

“It was not supposed to be this way,” he finally said.

“It rarely is.”

“I had hoped to recover this, to keep it safe for the elvhen people. But it is lost, like so many other things from the world of old.”

“What are your plans, Solas?” Evelyn asked. “The ones that require your independence.”

“They’ve been thrown into disarray,” he admitted, tucking the pieces into his bag. “They hinged on this orb.”

“And even without your plans, you won’t stay, will you?”

Solas looked away.

“In another world, you and I…we would be happy,” he said slowly. “I could remain at your side. We would be unfettered by destiny. There…this is not that world. And I cannot make this one into that one, much as I wish I could.”

“That’s a poor excuse from a man determined to forge his own path,” she said softly. “What are you afraid of? Committing to me? Compromising with me? I know we could never live a normal life – you’re an apostate, and I’m the Inquisitor. But we could take you in and keep you safe from the Templars and the Chantry.”

“I do not need your protection. But your desire to shield me is endearing.”

“How kind.”

“You are a kind woman, Inquisitor. I wish you and the Inquisition all the good it can do, truly. There is so much that you can do for this world. So many people to assist. Places to rebuild.”

“And there’s nothing I can say or do to persuade you to watch it all happen?” Evelyn asked. “Your work here is done. Now you’ll disappear into the sunset, as mysterious as you arrived, and I’m supposed to live, wondering if Leliana’s scouts will pick up some trace of you. If I’ll hear about you being thrown into a Circle, or attacked by rogue Templars.”

“Your fears are unfounded.” He finally looked at her. “You must not be concerned about me, Inquisitor. I will not be another casualty of this world, not if I can help it.”

“I can’t just switch off my heart, Solas. You know it doesn’t work that way.”

“I am fully aware, Inquisitor,” he murmured. She took a few steps towards him. “You should celebrate your victory with your allies. You have done a great deal of good here tonight. Do not let my absence bring you down.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll give me a kiss for the road?” Evelyn drawled. Solas’ lips quirked in amusement.

“I had thought you would stab me instead,” he admitted. “I cannot, not if it will leave you feeling fond of me.”

“Then don’t kiss me like we’re fond of each other,” she suggested.

“You are an enigma of a woman, Inquisitor,” Solas told her. He cupped her face.

Their mouths met. Solas’ was hungry, slanting against hers as he sought to devour her lips. Evelyn’s was filled with flashing teeth. Their stuttered breaths filled the air. Evelyn could feel her heart shattering into a thousand pieces as Solas’ hand clamped around her waist, and she gripped the fur around his neck.

They parted.

“Ma serannas, vhenan,” Solas whispered, and he released her, stalking off into the darkness. Evelyn swallowed, and then she straightened up, and turned, heading back towards the Inquisition.


	4. Trespasser

It had been two years.

She let herself be taken by the Fade once more, looking around at the strange landscape. She’d come here every night and searched a different part of the area. It had always been fruitless. She’d come across a place that sparked with his magic every so often, but then the trail would go dead.

This night was no different.

Her mind led her across rocks and splashed through water. Her palm tingled. That was always a sign she was close. The pins and needles grew, spreading to her wrist, and she stopped, looking around. The taste of his mana was in the air. He’d been here. He’d dreamed here.

But he wasn’t here.

Evelyn swallowed, and opened her eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

“How’s your hand, Boss?” Bull called. Evelyn shook it, letting Solas’ spell run through her palm, and the shock of pain stopped.

“Green,” Evelyn sighed.

“Not a good look for a human,” Bull noted.

“So a green Qunari is a good sign?” Rainier asked.

“Ahh, Thom, I’ve missed you too,” the Qunari chuckled.

Evelyn smiled. It hadn’t taken long for the Exalted Council to get complicated. Barely a day into the negotiations, and a dead Qunari had turned up in the Winter Palace and led them through an Eluvian to an ancient Elvhen ruin, and that was when Evelyn’s hand had begun to play up.

The pain had been agonising. It had felt like her hand was being ripped apart. It hadn’t been this bad for many years. Evelyn caught herself wondering if this was going to kill her.

But she had made it this far. The Vir Dirthara was a marvel as they strode through it.

“Beautiful,” Cole murmured, “intriguing, but afraid, _the pain’s too much, what if, what if-_ ”

“Cole, how about we keep the creepy mind-reading shit to a minimum?” Bull growled. “Too many spirits here. Just…floating around, telling me about the people who died here like it’s no big fucking deal...fucking hate the Fade, this is just as bad…”

“There are so many voices,” Cole explained, almost apologetically.

“There’s so much knowledge stored here,” Evelyn sighed in delight. She darted over to a bookcase, and at random, pulled out a book, her eyes skimming the pages.

 _“Playing colliding, forming to kiss, stroking lines of heat molten as the sun. It’s fluid, dancing, roiling, never ending, lovers tangled in a laughing knot that never parts no matter the age,”_ Cole began. Evelyn’s face burned in embarrassment.

“You’re kidding!” Bull roared, laughing loudly. “You’re saying the ancient library has _porn_? Holy shit, boss.”

“A rather unfortunate selection,” Rainier agreed. She could hear the effort in his voice as he fought down a laugh.

“Laughter, _you are an ass_ , she says, but she doesn’t really mean it,” the spirit suddenly announced.

“Cole!” Evelyn snapped.

“I’m sorry, your head was loud,” he apologised.

“How does the book end, Cole?” Rainier asked hurriedly. The spirit took the tome from Evelyn’s hands, concentrating. His brow furrowed.

 _“By the gods, find a private chamber!”_ he barked. The Vir Dirthara echoed with Rainier’s laughter as Evelyn hurriedly stepped away from the bookshelf.

“We should keep moving,” Evelyn said. “The Viddasala isn’t going to wait around for us to catch up.”

“Yes, please,” Bull groaned. “I’d like to get out of here, ideally _without_ anymore freaky spirit crap.”

 

* * *

 

 

Vir Dirthara. Winter Palace. Advisors.

The mark was getting worse. Evelyn was using Solas’ spell almost constantly now just to dull the pain and get through it. Both Vivienne and Dorian were casting it on her for a good half hour before she finally headed out to the Darvaarad. Between the three of them, they had managed to chisel it down to a thin green line.

It flared up again as they approached the fully armed Qunari group, and Evelyn almost tuned out of the Viddasala’s speech to her.

Until she said the word ‘Solas.’

As the pain seared through her hand, Viddasala and her saarebas disappeared through the Eluvian. Bull and Rainier helped Evelyn to her feet. Her teeth bared at the glowing mirror.

“So, what now?” Rainier asked.

“If the Viddasala thinks she’s going to kill Solas,” Evelyn began, pulling a lyrium potion from her belt, “she’s got another _fucking_ thing coming.” She downed the potion, and let the spell pour through her fingers. “Solas was one of ours, and I want _answers._ ” She drank another lyrium potion. “Besides, if anyone’s killing him, it’s _me._ ”

Rainier chuckled. And with that, they followed her through the Eluvian.

 

* * *

 

 

The fight with the saarebas was a painful blur. By the time she drove her mark through his body and tore him up from the inside out, her hand was throbbing. She could feel her mana running low as she let the spell run through her palm once more, and she checked her lyrium potions. One left. She looked at the mirror, glowing ahead of them.

“You’re wondering if he’s dead,” Cole said quietly. Evelyn’s brow furrowed. She drank the potion.

“Well, if he’s not dead yet, he will be when I get my hands on him,” she muttered. “Everyone ready?”

“For you, boss? Any time,” Bull replied. Rainier nodded in agreement. Evelyn looked back at the mirror.

“Let’s go get Solas.”

As Evelyn cleared the Eluvian, the glass turned dark red, shifting like blood. She almost smacked into a statue of a Qunari.

“Turned to stone,” she murmured. “Like the others we saw.”

“Fucking creepy,” Bull growled. “Let’s just find Solas and get out.”

“Agreed,” Rainier muttered. Evelyn led them through the maze of statues, up towards a set of stairs. As they approached, furious Qunlat filled the air.

“That’ll be Viddasala,” Evelyn mumbled. All four of them took off running towards the sounds, and as they reached the top of the stairs, they saw a figure, dressed in Sentinel armour and wolf fur, walking away from a statue that was shaped distinctively like the Viddasala.

“Solas,” Evelyn barked. The figure turned on his heel, showing her that handsome face and sad blue eyes she’d been haunted by for the last two years.

“He hurts,” Cole whispered softly. “Like a dagger in the chest.”

“Cole,” Solas sighed.

 _“He_ hurts,” Evelyn growled. “HE hurts?! You _left_ me, you _bastard!_ We defeated Corypheus and you tore out my heart the moment his corpse was cold!”

“Uh, I’m not sure we should be here for this,” Rainier began. Evelyn didn’t even look at him. Her furious gaze was fixed on Solas.

“I have so much to tell you,” the elf finally said. His eyes fell to her hand. “You…how is it?”

“Acting up, for the first time in two years. It hurts, but I’ll survive,” she replied. Solas’ hand lifted, and then held out for hers. Eyes narrowing, Evelyn rested her palm in his. He turned it over and examined the Anchor.

“I am glad you have been using the spell,” he finally said. She snatched her hand back.

“It’s your Maker-damned fault that I’ve even _got_ this mark!” she snarled. “Is the Viddasala right? Are you an agent of Fen’Harel?”

He let out a soft, short laugh, and Evelyn felt a warm flood her.

“I am no one’s agent but my own,” he told her. Her eyes widened.

“You’re Fen’Harel?” she breathed.

“I was Solas, first,” he corrected. “The Dread Wolf became a title. Much like Inquisitor, I suppose.”

“And then what? You rebelled?”

Solas looked away, over at the ruins nearby. Evelyn stared hard at him.

“He remembers,” Cole said softly. “The day they killed her. Broke him. So he broke the slaves’ chains and cast the Evanuris into the Fade. Covered them with a veil like a parrot cage.”

“The Veil?” Evelyn repeated. “You…created the Veil?”

“I had no alternative,” he explained. “The Evanuris would have destroyed the world.”

“I don’t understand,” she began. “If you created the Veil, why would you give Corypheus the Orb that let him open the Breach?”

“I slept after creating the Veil,” Solas told her. “Thousands of years passed. But when I awoke, the world had changed. The elves are a fraction of what they once were. I destroyed them by freeing them. I must make amends for that.”

“So you put up the Veil, but now you don’t like it, so you’re tearing it down?” Evelyn demanded. “What happens when the Veil is gone?”

“It will be as it once was.”

She grabbed the lanky elf and dragged him towards her. His eyes widened briefly. She knew he could have stopped her.

“This hand is _your fault_ ,” she growled. “This _entire fuck-up_ is _your fault_. Humans don’t _have_ the omnipotence to _fix_ our problems like this.”

“I cannot leave the elves as they are!” he protested. “I must save them!”

“Start by saving _me!_ ” Evelyn almost yelled. She held up her hand. “See this?! _Fix it!_ It’s _killing_ me!”

“Vhenan-”

“And while you’re at it, fix my damn heart!” she added furiously. “You _abandoned_ me, and now you’re back, except this time you’re just going to _rip the sky open?!_ ”

“I have missed that furious spark,” Cole murmured in the background.

“Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done,” Solas told her firmly. “It has torn at my heart since I walked away. I had hoped…that perhaps you would not have seen me.”

“You’re not swanning off into the sunset this time, Solas,” Evelyn warned him, her eyes falling on his lips. Her rage was only a little tempered by his admission, but as his hands found her hips, it died a little more.

“Oh,” Cole whispered.

“Cole, if you’re gonna read minds, do it _now_ ,” Bull hissed. “I wanna know.”

 _“Warm, soft, I have missed this, you are sensual in rage,”_ Cole murmured. _“Ma vhenan._ He remembers whispering it to her-”

“Cole!” Solas and Evelyn snapped as one. Their eyes met.

 _“I want you,”_ Cole announced. The mark flared up again, and Evelyn let out a sharp bark of pain, gritting her teeth.

“I will heal your arm,” Solas told her, and she felt the spell washing over her hand, calming the pain.

“And when… _aaargh_ …when that’s over, you’re going to disappear?” she guessed, as his fingers tightened around her forearm. “Leaving me _again?_ ”

“You would join me on my quest to tear open the Veil?” he asked, his hands softly glowing blue. “You have an Inquisition to run.”

“I’d persuade you to pack in your ridiculous plan,” Evelyn promised. He laughed, as warmth tingled through her skin.

“I cannot possibly bring you with me,” he decided.

“You’ll have to knock me out to stop me,” she warned him. A sharp stab of pain blitzed through her hand and she cried out.

“Vhenan,” Solas sighed, as green light began to collect in his hand. More pain, and Evelyn let out another agonised cry. He murmured soothingly to her in Elven, and she vaguely heard footsteps as her companions moved a little further away, letting Solas work his magic on her. She was not sure how long it took, but when Solas finished, the pain had died down to a dull ache. Her hand was no longer glowing. She had fallen, and he had knelt down beside her. His lips found her temple.

“Thankyou,” she mumbled.

“ _Ar lasa mala revas,_ ” he murmured against her. _“Ir abelas.”_

“You know I love it when you speak Elven,” she muttered. “Help me stand.”

“You are in no shape to do so.”

“Then carry me through the Eluvian, Dread Wolf,” she suggested.

“Is this your grand plan to force me to keep you?” he asked.

“How did you guess?” she retorted dryly.

“It is not the worst of plans.”

“Inquisitor?” Rainier called. “You’re not serious?”

Evelyn managed to stand, if a little shakily, with Solas’ arm looped around her back.

“If you carry me down the stairs, Thom, I’ll give you a kiss,” she teased. Solas tensed, and with a grin Evelyn felt herself being swept up into the elf’s arms.

“Inquisitor, you’re fucking with us!” Bull yelled.

“I’ll send a raven to Leliana!” she promised.

“You’d damn well better!” There was a pause. “And tell Solas to let us out!”

“They really need to get back to the Winter Palace,” Evelyn reminded him. She watched the mirror at the other end of the ruins glow, and her friends running back towards it. And then she was being carried through the Eluvian, and on the other side of it was another ruin.

“Well-”

Solas placed her roughly down on a slab of stone, and leaned down, his mouth finding hers. Evelyn moaned, curling her fingers into the wolf fur.

“You,” he breathed, “kissing Rainier?”

“I knew that’d piss you off,” she giggled, feeling him unbuckle her staff sling and toss it aside. He undressed her, tossing her clothes away without a care for them. Solas kissed her, hands sliding beneath the parted material to run over the bare skin beneath. Evelyn felt her skin prickle at the touch, so welcome after so long. Fingertips pushed beneath her bra and raised it, revealing her breasts. His head immediately ducked, tongue suckling and lapping at her nipples. Evelyn moaned, arching, slick gathering between her thighs.

“You devious girl,” Solas growled, kneeling over her.

“Solas,” she panted, his palms gripping her thighs. He ripped off her underwear and without a second thought, his cock was pushing against her slit and sliding inside. Both of them groaned. The Dread Wolf growled, and then he was fucking her. His hands found her hips and kept her close. A litany of half-formed elvish escaped him whilst he pounded her. Evelyn wrapped herself around him, calling for him. It had been two years since anyone had shared her bed.

The lanky elf slid his thumb between her thighs, and as the ruins filled with the sounds of their lovemaking, his nimble fingers made her come with his name on her lips. Evelyn felt sweat drip from her body and roll onto the stone, the musky smell of their coupling making her head spin. She knew that if she could speak Elvish, she would doubtless hear a chorus of filthy words leaving her lover.

He didn’t give her a moment to recover after her first orgasm. He flipped her onto her front and fucked her from behind, groaning her name and a thousand other stammered words into her ear, slipping fingertips over her clit to tease her. Evelyn felt him twitch as she cried out his name, his cock stroking a spot deep within her that made her shake.

“Solas,” she whimpered, as tension tightened between her thighs, “Solas, oh, _Maker_ , Solas, please…”

“Going to-” he warned, and then his hips were flush against her ass, warm seed spurting deep inside her. Evelyn gasped. The elf slumped over her body a little, and as he recovered, she felt his fingers still moving, still playing. With a cry, she shook, and came once more.

They lay against the slab. Solas rolled onto his side, his chest to her back.

“Evelyn,” he finally said. “There is nothing I can offer you. This will end the world.”

“You aren’t going to end the world,” she told him. “You won’t. I’ll stop you.”

Solas sighed against her hair, and kissed the nape of her neck.

“I almost believe you,” he admitted softly.


End file.
